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Vertical composition back on site

Vertical composition sculpture from two angles. Photo.

The artwork Vertical composition by Arne Jones newly inaugurated.

In glorious sunshine and to the tunes of saxophone music, the artwork Vertikal composition by Dean Kristina Åkesson was re-inaugurated. She was accompanied on stage by representatives of Public Art Agency Sweden and Akademiska hus, who were responsible for recreating the artwork and finding a new location for it outside Forum Medicum.

In 1956, Public Art Agency Sweden purchased Arne Jones' sculpture Vertical Composition as a public decoration outside the then Department of Physiology in Lund. Over the years, the artwork was damaged and eventually it had to be taken down. But in connection with the construction of Forum Medicum, there was an opportunity to restore the work and find a new location for it in front of the new building. The original work was in copper, but to reduce the risk of theft, the sculpture that can now be seen in front of the entrance to Forum Medicum is made of stainless steel, in accordance with sketches left by the artist.

Vertical composition

"Arne Jones (1914-1976) was one of the most important Swedish sculptors of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Vertical composition was carried out in close collaboration with Klas Anshelm, the architect who designed the Department of Physiology. The sculpture was to respond to a manifesto that called for "confidence and unbridled sense of freedom" and came about when memories of World War II were recent and vivid. One person who was a driving force in the issue was Georg Kahlson, professor of physiology and refugee from Nazi Germany.

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The restoration of the work has required a keen sense of historical and artistic values. Through the work, what Jones, Anshelm and Kahlson wanted to express and the impression they have left on art history can live on."

Björn Norberg, curator at Statens konstråd